Mammal-plant interactions differ significantly between urban and natural environments; however, knowledge of mammal-pollinated plants in urban areas remains limited compared to plants in their natural habitats. Here, we compared the flower visitors of Mucuna macrocarpa between urban and forested areas in Okinawa-jima Island, Japan and in Taiwan. Mucuna macrocarpa requires a highly specialized pollination process. Our study showed that Ryukyu flying foxes (Pteropus dasymallus) were the pollinator of M. macrocarpa in both the urban and forested areas of Okinawa-jima Island, whereas, in Taiwan, red-bellied squirrels (Callosciurus erythraeus) were the main pollinator species. Both pollinator species visited inflorescences in urban areas at the same or higher frequency as in forested areas. In contrast, non-pollinating animals engaged in nectar-robbing or picking-off behaviors when visiting Mucuna flowers in forested areas only. These results suggest that M. macrocarpa successfully attracts local pollinators, even in urban environments that have relatively low biodiversity. The negative effect of animal guilds on the success of M. macrocarpa pollination is significantly lower in urban compared to forested areas. However, the fragmentation caused by urbanization might reduce the opportunity for cross-pollination.

We investigated the synergistic succession of the small mammal and herbaceous communities after farmland was reconverted to seasonally flooded wetlands in the Dongting Lake Region of China. The composition of small mammals and the herbaceous community was examined in four habitat types: F (farmland), S (where agriculture continued, but human habitation ceased), R (farmland reconverted back to seasonally flooded wetlands), and B (aboriginal seasonally flooded wetlands). Using various diversity indices, the data showed that the small mammal community changed in parallel with the succession of the herbaceous community. Compared to F, there was little change in S, whereas R noticeably changed. Microtus fortis inhabited R, because Carex spp. was the dominant plant species. R held a mixture dominant species from both F and B, demonstrating that R was in transition (intermediate stages of succession) from F to B. However, the status of the small mammal community in B changed in 2008–2010, due to the operation of the Three-Gorge Reservoir (TGR). In conclusion, our observations demonstrate that the succession of the small mammal community in habitats R and B are directly influenced by human activity in the region, with monitoring being required to continue documenting these changes.

The Japanese white-toothed shrew (Crocidura dsinezumi) is a species endemic to Japan. For this species, only minimal phylogeographic investigations have been conducted. We obtained DNA sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome b and control region and nuclear ApoB genes for 191 individuals of C. dsinezumi from 107 locations collected throughout its known range. In the phylogenetic trees based on mitochondrial DNA sequences, two haplogroups (Eastern and Western Clades) were recognized, and the demarcation line between them was located in central Honshu without an overlapping area. The estimated divergence time between the two major clades indicated that they could have diverged prior to the final geologic division of Hondo and the Asian Continent (100–150 KYA). For the ApoB gene, Types A, G, and R (heterozygote) were recognized although there was a single site mutation. Type A mainly occurs in eastern and central Japan and Types G and R in central and western Japan. It was suggested in the present study that some shrews in Hokkaido were introduced recently from eastern Honshu (possibly the Tohoku Region) whereas others might have been distributed there naturally, and that population in Jeju (South Korea) was introduced recently from Kyushu.

Very little is known about the cementum annuli of Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus). We collected the first premolar tooth from adult female bears in central Japan to investigate whether reproductive history was reflected in cementum annuli width; previous studies have indicated that this is possible in other bear species. We calculated the proportional width index (PWI) value as an index of annular cementum growth, and we confirmed reproductive status by direct field observations (females with cubs, with yearlings, or without offspring). We compared both PWI and reproductive status among 10 females to determine whether PWI was correlated with reproduction. In years when females were accompanied by cubs, PWI was significantly smaller than in years when females were with yearlings or without offspring. Our results indicate that reproductive success (parturition and lactation) in female Asian black bears decreases cementum annulus width, which appears to be a useful index of past reproductive history. These data will improve our ability to determine this life-history parameter as we monitor and manage Japan's bear population. Linking other factors (e.g., food availability) to PWI could increase the accuracy of detection of cub survival by this reproductive success index.

In recent decades, invasive animals have disturbed the native ecosystem, via intraspecific and interspecific genetic hybridization. Previously, maternally-inherited mitochondrial DNA analysis detected two genetically distinct lineages of the sika deer (Cervus nippon) in the Japanese Archipelago and revealed the coexistence of both lineages mainly in the central part of Toyama Prefecture in Japan. One of the lineages was thought to be derived from introduced individuals. In the present study, using 13 microsatellite DNA markers, the level of hybridization between the two lineages was investigated in Toyama Prefecture. The results revealed deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the entire population and individuals from maternally-inherited samples. The Bayesian estimation elucidated the contribution of genetically divergent ancestral sources to the studied population due to the introgression of introduced gene pool and subsequent continuous mating across generations.

We studied the diet of the raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in the two urban parks by fecal analysis in winter, when their nutritional condition is important for breeding. From December 2015 to March 2016, we collected 39 feces from 14 latrines for defecation of raccoon dogs in the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (n = 31) and the Toyama Park (n = 8), located in central Tokyo. The samples were analyzed by the hand sorting method, and the frequency of occurrence for each food item was calculated. As a result, seeds (97.4%), birds (48.7%), and earthworms (48.7%) were detected as main food items. Major seeds of fruits detected were Hovenia dulcis (56.4%), Celtis sinensis (35.9%), Aphananthe aspera (25.6%), and Diospyros kaki (20.5%). These were planted tree species for gardens and urban greening. Preyed birds consisted mainly of Passeriformes (20.5%), Podicipedidae (7.7%), and Phalacrocoracidae (7.7%). Compared with other studies, fruits were main food items in not only urban parks but also other urban environments and mountain areas in winter. On the other hand, birds were more consumed in urban environments than mountain area, and therefore the availability of animal food items may be different between urban and mountain areas in winter.